Case Study: Atlantic Park reimagines Virginia Beach’s oceanfront with Gensler

Atlantic Park debuts a 10.2-acre mixed-use district with Gensler

The customer, Atlantic Park, faced the challenge of revitalizing a neglected oceanfront area in Virginia Beach into a year-round destination that honored its surf heritage, while seamlessly integrating a surf lagoon and entertainment venue into the dense coastal setting. Gensler, along with design partners Hanbury and Cooper Carry, was engaged to design a solution for this mixed-use district.

Gensler's solution was to design a pedestrian-first district that united surfing, entertainment, retail, and hospitality through layered landscape design and indoor-outdoor connectivity. The project, anchored by the first Wavegarden Cove surf lagoon in North America and The Dome entertainment venue, transformed the oceanfront into a vibrant destination. The impact was a redefined Virginia Beach oceanfront that catalyzes year-round economic activity and public life, establishing Atlantic Park as a new civic anchor and model for waterfront renewal.

Atlantic Park